Busy Gamer News

Xbox Live is sponsoring our first ever Busy Gamer News Community Playdate tonight. To join us, you just need an Xbox 360, an Xbox Live Gold account and a copy of the racing game Blur (read our Busy Gamer Review):

• Game: Blur for Xbox 360
• Date: Wednesday, Sept. 1
• Time: 9 p.m. Eastern / 6 p.m. Pacific
• Friend Gamewatcher and GrrlGotGame on Xbox Live and let us know that you'll be joining us so we can send you an invite!

We chose Blur because it's easy to pick up and a lot of fun. We can race with 10-20 people at a time in a group, and we have two consoles and copies of the game so we could break into two groups if needed for even more! Please let us know if you're going to attend so we can track who's coming and plan accordingly. Also, we'll need to send you an invite to join our private matches!

We play for fun, so don't think of this as a highly competitive thing. And the great thing about Blur is everyone can pick up powerups and blast fellow racers off the road. Even if you don't win the race, the battle to the finish is more than half the fun...

This week, we prepare you for Penny Arcade Expo 2010 in Seattle with our Busy Gamer Survival Guide, share highlights from our Xbox Live Community Playdate with Blur, discuss pricing news for Nintendo DSi and Xbox Live Gold, compare Toy Story Mania for Wii with the California Great Adventure ride of the same name and unleash 7-year-old Pikachu Fan on Toy Story 3 for DS.

Get all of that - plus game release news, DLC and giveaways - in less than 14 minutes!

Our goal is to provide a short summary (typically 10-15 minutes, longer when necessary) of news and helpful commentary every Sunday so that you'll have a great jumping off point for your busy gamer week. Here's what we pack into each episode:

• The week's game releases
• A quick look back at the previous week's releases, news and downloadable content highlights
• What we're playing/mini-reviews
• Giveaways
• Comment of the week

• Arcade: Dead Rising 2: Case Zero ($5)
• Game Room ($3-5 each;  no new Game Pack download this week): A Game of Concentration, Boxing, Super Basketball and Super Breakout
• Bioshock 2 Minerva’s Den ($10)
• Crackdown 2 Toy Box Preview (free) and Premium Toy Box ($7)
• Split Second The Elite Vehicle Livery Pack and Ryback Cyclone Special Edition (free) and High Octane Supercar Vehicle Pack ($2) with 3 vehicles
• Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days The Doggie Bag ($7) with 3 maps and 5 weapons, Alliance Weapon Pack ($3) with 7 weapons and Multiplayer Mask Pack ($2) with 8 masks
• Ninety-Nine Night II Equipment Pack ($0.50)
• Guitar Hero 5 P.O.D. Track Pack ($5.50 or $2 each) with "Boom," "Southtown" and "Youth of the Nation"
• Rock Band/Rock Band 2 Going Country Pack 04 ($15 or $2 each) with "What Was I Thinkin'" by Dierks Bentley, "Rebound" by Laura Bell Bundy, "Hell on the Heart" by Eric Church, "Women" by Jamey Johnson, "Lookin' For a Good Time" by Lady Antebellum, "Fancy" by Reba McEntire, "It Happens" by Sugarland, "Would You Go With Me" by Josh Turner and "Days Go By" by Keith Urban - Note: "Family friendly" tracks also work with Lego Rock Band.
• Rock Band Network tracks ($1-3; Rock Band 2 required to download and play) "Evil Inside Me" and "Lionheart" by Amberian Dawn, "Disco Rocket" by Scott Attrill, "Revolution" by Bang Camaro, "Time-bomb" by Buttercup, "White Table" by Delta Spirit, "Buy You A House" by Noah Engh The Kid Fantastic, "Head Up High" by Firewind, "Pale Sister of Light" by Free Spirit, "Welcome To My World" by Nerf Herder, "Return to Blood Beach" by The Riptides, "Cherry Red" by Sideburn and "Burn Her Out" by Shokkher
• Lips tracks ($2 each): None
• Games on Demand: Bully: Scholarship Edition ($20) and Cabela's Safari ($20)
• Demos: Vanquish plus all Xbox Live Arcade, Game Room, Indie games and Rock Band Network tracks
• Indie Games (usually $1-10 each): Avatar Orbitroid, Bloop!, Device Hero, Drag Impact, Fish Squid Time Machine, Inferno, Magnetic Wars, Ninja vs. Zombie, Snake Death, StormGate, Tap Training, Trapped and Treasure Treasure: FFEE
• Game Videos: Halo: Reach and Red Faction: Armageddon
• Themes: Resident Evil: Afterlife 3D (free) and Infiniti QX (free)
• Pictures: Walmart (free) and U.S. Air Force (free; registers you in sweepstakes)
• Avatar Items (usually priced $1-5 each): Rock Band 3

To celebrate our 7th Penny Arcade Expo - and all of the great coverage we're planning to deliver including podcast interviews! - we have 3 great games to give away. Not to mention the promise of epic swag in coming weeks!

So even if you can't be at PAX in person, you can enter to win cool prizes just as if you were!

We have a console trio:

• Quake 4 for Xbox 360
• Fracture for PS3
• Samba De Amigo for Wii

Pick your prize or play for more than one with bonus entries! Here's how to enter and maximize your chances to win:

1. Enter a comment here, as usual. That's all you really NEED to do. 
2. Tweet the following on Twitter: Win Quake 4, Fracture and Samba De Amigo at BusyGamerNews.com, home of the Busy Gamer Podcast! RT + enter: http://bit.ly/cOiUFb #bgnfsf
3. Review (or re-review) our Busy Gamer Podcast on iTunes
4. Review (or re-review) the Best of Busy Gamer Podcast on iTunes. This is a short audio highlights feed with our reviews, audio tours and other timeless bits.

If you do 2, 3 and/or 4 (and why wouldn't you?), you do need to let us know your Twitter/iTunes name(s) in your comment so we can find, verify and include your bonus entries in the drawing and match them up to contact you if one of them wins. If we can't easily tell who you are on Twitter and/or iTunes, the bonus entry is disqualified.

You DO have to enter a comment here and follow the other rules to be eligible. Here's how to enter:

If you're at Penny Arcade Expo in Seattle this weekend, you can meet up with us and score a button and maybe a cool prize to boot - rare tees, maybe a game or even an awesome Halo 3 messenger bag or Rockstar duffel!:

• 9 a.m. Friday, Sept. 3: Breakfast at Blue Water Taco Grill at 515 Union, a block from Sheraton (NOT the one at Union Square!). We'll be lining up for the Harmonix Rock Band panel at 10 a.m. right afterwards!
• Saturday, Sept. 4: Find Gamewatcher and win swag! I'll tweet my appearance and then throughout the day (as I can) where I'm hanging out. Find me and pick an item of swag from my Rockstar duffel bag. The person who gets the last piece of swag also keeps the bag!
• 9:15 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 5: We're going to meet and give away more prizes in the Convention Center near the queue room for the Exhibition Hall, so you can stop by on your way to get in line for the final morning rush.

Visit our Busy Gamer News page on Facebook for pictures and notes as we post them from PAX. Follow Gamewatcher and GrrlGotGame on Twitter or more specific details on where we are when we can post them. We hear the Edge network is more reliable, so turn off your 3G (if you have an iPhone) to access it if you're anywhere near this geek fest.

We'll post impressions and roundups to the site as we can, and we're recording audio for the Busy Gamer Podcast. It's going to be a wild ride!

This year's Penny Arcade Expo is unbelievably huge, yet somehow seems much more organized than past years since it made the move to the Washington State Convention Center.

Still, stepping into the staggeringly large Exhibition Hall is an overwhelming experience. It now encompasses the main hall, the sky bridge and two additional rooms (including what used to be a cavernous Queue Room for the main theater, now relocated to Benaroya Hall). With so many booths, you'd think the lines overall would be shorter, but they're not discernably so except in small pockets.

For Day 1, we went straight from our breakfast tweetup to the Rock Band 3 panel by Harmonix (full audio; 56MB, NSFW due to explicit language). We recorded the session and will include highlights in our next Busy Gamer Podcast, but here's what we learned:

• Rock Band 3 has 62 achievements and 800+ goals. Among them is a new hardcore player achievement that's harder than Bladder of Steel in Rock Band 2: "Obssessive Compulsive: Hit every note in Rock Band 3." We believe that means 100% on all songs with all instruments in pro mode.
• The keyboard bundle will ship day and date with the standalone game. So there's no need to buy Rock Band 3 twice (as we did with Rock Band 2!) unless you're holding out for a full bundle with all of the new instruments, which isn't coming any time soon - if ever. If you want a full pro mode band setup, your best bet for now is to buy the keyboard bundle and add on the other instruments that you need individually.
• The Mustang guitar is pro mode capable with hundreds of buttons instead of strings. I tried it briefly and can tell it will take some geting used to. The Mustang will launch at or near the Rock Band 3 launch, though it's only offered separately (again, no bundles). The Squier Stratocaster controller with real strings will be priced in the range of a real guitar of the same name, probably a little more due to added expense to make it game capable. Don't count on it for the holidays; it might slip to 2011.
• Rock Band 3 will have Facebook and Twitter integration, linked via your RockBand.com community login.
• Rock Band Network songs will be fully integrated in Rock Band 3, both in the revised Store and in playlists. Not all Rock Band 2 tracks will be exportable for Rock Band 3. Details are due in the next few weeks on which songs and how much exporting them will cost. Old DLC can be updated for Rock Band 3's pro mode, and Harmonix is looking for community help in prioritizing the tracks to update from their 2000-song library. Visit RockBand.com to suggest what you'd like to see patched first.
• There will be no further The Beatles: Rock Band DLC in the foreseeable future. They don't have the licensing for any more songs. "Imagine" by John Lennon will be in Rock Band 3, but it's the only track that won't support Pro mode on guitar.

Other news and observations from PAX:

• Duke Nukem Forever is indeed being completed by Gearbox, makers of Borderlands. It's playable at the show; we're going to try it as soon as we can and see if doing so wipes away the stain left by so many unfulfilled promises!
• We saw a co-op demo of Portal 2. The game will be about double the content of the original for both single-player and co-op campaigns, and what we saw was extremely polished! If a player dies in co-op, it resets you to a point where you can easily pick back up without a lot of redoing of puzzle steps. There's a newly announced sky bridge, which you can extend and redirect with portals to reach new areas.
• Comic Jumper is a challenging platformer shooter for Xbox Live Arcade. Despite a high level of polish, I was still on the fence after playing it for several minutes. We're meeting with TwistedPixel tomorrow, so stay tuned for more impressions.
• Raskulls is a puzzle platfomer, also for Xbox Live Arcade, that looks both family friendly and engaging. It has these cool water pillars that let you swim to new vertical spaces. The challenges range from very easy to very hard, and you can play both co-op and competitive. No release date yet, but this is one to watch!
• The Web-based Instant Jam music game is made by the same people who brought you the InstantAction demo of The Secret of Monkey Island (which we shared in May and received positive feedback). This Rock Band-style rhythm game pulls songs from your personal music library to unlock playable note charts (hand charted, they say, with some 2200 songs in the database including Foo Fighters, Matchbox 20 and Metallica to name a few). You can even plug in a USB guitar if you don't like tapping the notes on your computer keyboard. I tried it, and it was fun. It's worth a look, especially considering the depth of features and the fact that it's free (unless you don't own a song, in which case they'll offer to sell it to you via Amazon or iTunes so you can license it for play both in the game and your personal music library). Currently in beta on Facebook, Instant Jam will be playable on our site once it's launched. We also expect to get playable demos of Braid, World of Goo and Penny Arcade Adventures in coming weeks.

View our picture gallery on Facebook.

We made it through Day 1 of PAX Prime 2010 relatively unscathed but Day 2 was packed with interviews, games, panels, and more interviews! We'll sift through the audio and share the best bits in our Busy Gamer Podcast over the next few weeks. For now, here are the highlights:

• Rock Band 3. We stupidly skipped right past the 2K Games booth where Duke Nukem Forever was enclosed in a private viewing space to try out the new Rock Band title shipping in late October. At past shows, the Harmonix booth was a major highlight of our visit - but not this year. They weren't even ready when we arrived, so we spent 10 precious minutes waiting for things to be plugged in and the staff to play through a track to test things out. GrrlGotGame was so annoyed that she left to try Fallout: New Vegas (already a must-buy for us), never to return. I was determined to try the keyboard (and also wanted to play with the Mustang pro guitar we saw Friday, but alas it was "off limits" for actual play). I chose the piano-heavy "Sister Christian" to see if my guitar skills translated to the "keytar" - and they clearly did not! The keyboard has a lot more buttons (well, keys) and even at the medium non-pro skill level, I had to traverse 6 note streams instead of the 5 on guitar at the same level. There's also a much different feel to this controller; I'm used to how the guitar buttons are marked so you can move up and down the fretboard and know your position by touch. That said, I view the keyboard as an interesting challenge and expect I'll try it more when the game launches to see if I can improve. Our biggest concern is whether letting our 7-year-old, Pikachu Fan, play with a keyboard in the game will help or hurt his piano lessons.
• Tron: Evolution. After rejecting what had become a 1-2 hour line for Duke Nukem Forever (and which would eventually stretch 4-5 hours long!), I dove into the eye-popping Disney booth and its new Tron game. The visuals are stunning, but the demo levels came from several hours into the game - and being dropped into the middle of a difficult lightcycle challenge and then having to learn advanced wall jumping skills didn't sit well with me. Tron: Evolution does look deeper and more interesting than past Tron outings, but it remains to be seen whether it can evolve beyond the stigmatized classification of "licensed movie tie-in game."
• PlayStation Move. After trying the Kinect a few weeks ago during their Seattle tour, we were curious to give the Move a whirl. GrrlGotGame and I picked up the glowing batons to battle in Sports Champions, the Move pack-in game, and I was quickly schooled by the mightier warrioress (though I did take her down once!). We then switched to archery, which took a little practice but we quickly mastered. I even split an arrow with a second shot to the same spot! Our main complaint with Move was the need to constantly recalibrate between rounds, something we have not encountered with Kinect. But our first impressions were net positive and, though we'll probably still get a Kinect at launch, the Sony solution may ultimately work better in our narrow living room.
• LittleBigPlanet 2. I thought the original Sackboy game was a brilliant concept but it ramped up in difficulty too quickly, leaving me and our then 6-year-old stuck only about a third of the way in. I had hoped the sequel would grab me and make me forget the lack of difficulty balance in the first one - but it didn't. The first level I tried was multiplayer only, so I was stuck until a booth employee rescued me and joined me for a round. The next level I did solo, and it rocketed me around like a pinball - which was fun - but it did not seem notably improved over the original. Perhaps it was the lack of a tutorial, but I got stuck a few times on what to do next. I suspect we'll still get LittleBigPlanet 2, but may hold out for the inevitable Game of the Year edition.
• Power Gig: Rise of the Six String. I stumbled hesitantly into the booth for what appeared to be yet another Rock Band knockoff and was quickly handed off to a staffer designated to demonstrate it to media. The game features a real guitar controller, which seemingly will beat the Harmonix/Fender Squier stringed-guitar controller for Rock Band 3 to market. The strings lock into place for the game, but can be snapped out if you want to plug your axe into an amp and use it as an electric guitar. My problem with the game is that I'm not a real guitarist, I'm a fake guitarist, so I lacked the callouses on my fingers to actually complete a single song in the game. It hurt my hands worse than the punishing note charts of any Guitar Hero game I've played. (I know, right?) This may be a great game for real musicians looking for a challenge that better approximates real guitar playing, but it's not for me. They also have an unusual drum kit: It sits on the floor and you drum the air above the pads. There's no stick-on-pad noise or drum kit wear and tear, but I prefer the tactile feeling of drumming and don't believe I could keep the rhythm without striking something with my sticks. GrrlGotGame did try the game's vocals on the Seven45 Studios mainstage and may have her own groupie now. Needless to say, we'll be skipping this.
• Epic Mickey. We arrived for our scheduled interview with a Disney designer expecting a walkthrough, but we were only slotted for a quick chat in a noisy booth. After ducking behind a demo station to record away from the noise, we couldn't even see the game! Epic Mickey does look extremely promising, and we suspect our 7-year-old will adore it - but we never did get any hands on time. The best we could do was watch a kid not much older than our own tossing blasts of color at enemies to defeat them. He seemed to be having a great time!
• Halo: Reach. We missed the Bungie panel but dropped in on their tweet-up, where a very funny Red vs. Blue episode was shown and seemingly every Bungie employee dropped by to visit with fans in a giant, packed room. GrrlGotGame ran off to chase a copy of Yahtzee "Zero Punctuation" Croshow's MogWorld but I stuck around and landed a signed Reach poster and some avatar item codes - both of which will be the subject of future giveaways. (We're also going to offer up a second copy of MogWorld that we landed!) After the session, I ran into composer Martin O'Donnell on the escalator and shared with him the details of our Audiophile segment on the music of Halo 3. He retweeted the link, so we can only guess that he liked it!
• Puzzle Agent. There wasn't a large iPhone/iPad presence at PAX, but we did get pulled into an interview with Telltale Games (makers of the recent Sam & Max series and the forthcoming Back to the Future Game) about their answer to Professor Layton. The game, which is also on Steam and coming soon to WiiWare, is the brainchild of artist/animator Graham Annable. We didn't actually play the game, but we were shown the interface and a few of its puzzles. It actually seems more humorous than Professor Layton and has a sort of Psychonauts-style twist where you solve puzzles to unlock the secrets of the disturbed denizens of Scoggins, Minn. While we were at the Telltale booth, we got sucked into buying pre-orders for Poker Night at the Inventory, a card game that features Penny Arcade's Tycho (but not Gabe!), Max, Strong Bad and the Heavy from Team Fortress 2. We bought for us and one for a lucky winner of a future Free Stuff Friday!
• Lego Universe. We're not really the MMO type - few busy gamers are - but we do see at least one online multiplayer game in our future. Or at least Pikachu Fan's future. Lego Universe is an online world of bricks launching later this year, and we have a bunch of beta codes to get you in now! You have your own private space to build and invite close friends to visit, and then there's an open world for shared adventures. What really impressed us was the range of options. There are simple block construction mechanics like you see in the Traveller's Tales games (Lego Star Wars, Lego Harry Potter, etc.). Older kids can move up to mix-and-match constructions where you take, say, three sections of a vehicle to make your own custom ride. Finally, there is an advanced brick-by-brick mode where you can build things just as you would in the real world. You do have to unlock the various bricks and parts, but they're all included in the subsciption fee - the only "paying" you might do beyond the $40 cost of the retail game and $90-120/year subscription is done with virtual in-game currency that you earn by playing the game. Best of all, there's a scripting language similar to those Lego MindStorm gizmos, which Pikachu Fan learned to program this summer at a robot camp and really loved! He'll be able to jump right into the advanced options and make objects move, pop up messages or explode in a shower of bricks. Awesome!
• Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One. Despite being a huge fan of the series, this session was a big bust. We were seated near the back of the same room that hosted the Bungie tweetup earlier in the day and couldn't hear a thing! (According to a tweet from Insomniac responding to my complaint about the worst miking ever, the bombastic Bungie event actually blew out a rear speaker!) As a result, the live demo was less than impactful. The game seems more 4-player party game than co-op adventure. I did manage to move up as space cleared out midway through and caught the amusing tidbit that Insomniac had considered more risque titles such as "4Play" and "Multiple Organisms" but were concerned that parents wouldn't buy the game for their kids.

Stay tuned for Day 3 highlights.

You've heard from Gamewatcher on our Day 1 and Day 2 adventures. Here's my round-up of the best - and worst - of that show we call PAX Prime 2010:

• Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood. Ezio picks up where Assassin's Creed II left off – and this time, he's recruiting some friends. The campaign wasn't playable at PAX, but I did sit in on two multiplayer sessions. New playable assassins include a courtesan (misspelled in the game video – might want to fix that, guys!), a doctor (complete with mask), a bad-ass monk and a rich dude. Ezio was not available to play in multiplayer. Unlike most free-for-alls, Brotherhood gives you a specific target and sends you out into a world filled with NPCs who resemble the actual targets. A new radar bubble represents how close you are to your actual target, which direction to head and whether you're on the same level. It's still up to you to identify the correct person. Meanwhile, you are being stalked too! A secondary, more discreet radar indicates how many people are stalking you. The good news? You can kill your pursuer with no penalty – assuming you turn around fast enough. I wish I could have played the campaign, but my few visits to multiplayer promises more fun climbing the walls and stalking people. Gamewatcher was totally pwned - he came in last! - but to be fair he'd never played Assassin's Creed with a Sixaxis before and struggled with remapping the controls.
• Fallout: New Vegas. To the casual viewer, New Vegas could be yet another add-on to Fallout 3 – at least, the areas I saw. I never actually made it to New Vegas, which presumably looks different from the ruins of DC. There are many familiar touches here - psychotic dogs, bloat flies, crazed people looking to kill) - but with a Wild West twist. New weapons include the Cowboy Repeater (a basic gun), the Grenade Machine Gun (exactly what it sounds like – super sweet!) and the Varmint Rifle. The load screen now features a roulette wheel, and you have Mojave Music Radio and Radio New Vegas stations to keep you company in the big bad world. A combination of time limits and being left in the middle of nowhere by a previous player meant I spent most of my time hiking and shooting random dogs. I did manage to reach an old prison that had been taken over by inmates before dying and thus getting booted off the machine. I know I want this game, and I'm sure it'll be a blast – I just wish I had gotten to see more of it at PAX.
• Dead Rising 2. As a huge Dead Rising fan, this was one of my most anticipated games. Gamewatcher didn't care much for the first one (though he's enjoying Dead Rising 2: Case Zero and vows to give the sequel a chance). I started Case Zero last week, so I had already met the new hero, Chuck. Based on that experience, I expected to be dropped in the middle of a relatively open environment. The PAX demo dropped me back in my natural, zombie-slaughtering environment, however: the Mall. Specifically, a mall with a sweet, sweet casino attached to it. (Best visual joke: Zombies pouring quarters into slot machines. Just like real life!) Combat was challenging with my poor, weak Level 1 Chuck. If you have an Xbox 360, invest in the Case Zero pre-game on Xbox live Arcade and level Chuck up to 5 before diving into Dead Rising 2. It will make a difference. The good news: The sequel features three save slots (versus one in the original), guns are now functional and - dare I say - fun to use, and a new workbench feature allows you to make bizarre killing machines from crap you find lying around the mall. (Two words: Freedom Bear!) You'll find combo hints around the mall (posters, cards, etc.), but some things are highly guessable. Predictably, the list has already hit the web. Search on "Dead Rising Combo Weapons" if you want to know.
• Hunted: The Demon's Forge. You may know Bethesda Software from such titles as Fallout 3 and The Elder Scrolls. Neither of these games exactly screams "Gears of War," but that is exactly the game the marketing guy kept mentioning as he took me through the rather extensive demo. I'm still not sure I got Gears from it – it's a heavy dungeons and dragons aesthetic with some psycho skeletons for good measure – but we'll go with it. There are two characters, the standard big brute melee guy and the hot, barely-dressed nimble minx with a bow. The game features a nice co-op mode that goes way beyond the standard you-stand-here-and-boost-me that passes for co-op in so many games. For example, nimble minx has a freeze arrow that turns bad guys into ice, perfect for the brute melee dude to shatter with his huge battle-axe. I was totally into the game until I found out that – once again – I would have to buy two copies to play with Gamewatcher (no split-screen co-op!) If I could play side-by-side with him in the living room, this would be a no-brainer pre-order. Without it, it's just another dungeon invasion game. But like Gears. At least, that's what I hear.
• Donkey Kong Returns. The first Donkey Kong game in 14 years arrives on Wii November 21. The marketing guy thought there was a chance that it will be on the DS. Maybe. He thinks. Um, and maybe DSi? Here's what we do know: Donkey Kong Returns is a co-op platformer in the classic Nintendo style: Rocks will be climbed, fruit will be dropped, sharks will jump out of nowhere and dance in the middle of the sky. It wasn't my cup of tea, but it would be fun to play with 7-year-old Pikachu Fan.
• Super Hero Squad. This new PC MMO based on Marvel's Super Hero Squad TV characters is engaging and kid-friendly. The developers recommend about age 7 (or first grade reading level) and up, as there is a lot of reading involved, particularly in the setup period. Playable characters include Hulk, Storm, Wolverine, Spider-Man, Iron Man, plus some others your kids probably won't care about. You choose a character and hit the streets to fight crime and take on famous bosses like Doc Oc. The combat is simple point and click, with a giant, kid-friendly button in the upper left to tell them when they can "Hero Up" (use their character's nifty super-power). My favorite was Storm, who makes it rain and depresses the enemy. Levels are short (about 5 minutes) so kids can jump in and out even on a school night and make some progress! There is no dying in the game – just falling over for a few moments. It is impossible to lose – even the newest of newbies will, eventually, prevail – but your performance will determine your final award: bronze, silver, gold or a highly-coveted adamantium medal, a nice nod to the game's Marvel roots. The developers, who I was told many times are older and have kids themselves – take child safety very seriously. All child accounts are sub-sets of a parental account, and parents will have complete control over chat, the child's friend's list and anything else that might involve online interaction. Online chat is done completely publicly – no "whispering" (private chat). A black list covers all the words you don't want little Johnny saying in Kindergarten, while a grey list will prevent certain white listed words from being put together (e.g., no one can ask "What is your phone number?") Super Hero Squad goes into beta this fall (I was told both October and November at various times.) The beta sign up is not yet public, but they were signing people up at PAX – so it's close. We'll pass on the beta information as soon as it becomes available.
• Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2. We were shown a multiplayer free-for-all on a single screen. There were four of us attempting to take each other down, but it was rather pointless: incredibly poor controls and a "random element" did the job for us. One player just set the Wii controller down and walked away mid-game, followed shortly by another – leaving just me and the marketing guy. At the end of the game, he turned to me and said, "It's really fun once you know what you're doing." I'm sure it is. I just don't plan to find out.
• GoldenEye: 007. You know it. You love it. It's not the same game. The campaign wasn't available to play at PAX, but I did jump into some split-screen multiplayer action. Players can use the Wii controller, an N64 controller or a classic controller – good news for those of us who don't enjoy playing with the Wii's butter stick. Playable characters include a who's who of Bond baddies, including Odd Job, Spetshaz and Jaws. Okay, maybe not a who's who, but they were in the movies. The maps were nothing special, but points for having a decent split-screen. The marketing guy told me that some environments were interactive – just not the one I happened to be playing at the time.
• Power Gig: Rise of the Six String. Gamewatcher briefly touched on this in our Day 2 coverage from the guitar player point of view. I'm usually a singer (and sometime drummer) so I was curious about Power Gig as well. It was three of the worst minutes of the show. The black lyrics are microscopic and fly across a dark screen – hard on these older eyes. At least I already knew the words to "Plush" by Stone Temple Pilots! A strange, DNA-looking thing appeared to be the powerup, but actually didn't do anything except turn colors when I made noise. Instead, I had to pound the mike in the split-second that a "pound-the-mike" image appeared. Oh, and the song list was pretty awful. Just like the game. Props to the marketing chick who managed to act like we TOTALLY RAWKED THAT – all while, no doubt, praying that the next group didn't request Smashing Pumpkins. Again. The hungover, uninvolved marketing folks at Harmonix could take a lesson from these guys. At least they were ON.
• The Entertainment Consumers Association (ECA). This non-profit consumer advocacy organization is currently fighting for your adult right to rip out virtual spines and perform other gruesome acts against digital people (and creatures). If you play Call of Duty, Mortal Kombat, pretty much any zombie game or generally anything you don't want your kids to see, this affects you. The Supreme Court, which only hears 1 percent of the thousands of cases sent to them each year, has opted to hear Schwarzenegger v. EMA, a first amendment case that could lead to videogame censorship if the "governator" gets his way. The ECA has waged an aggressive campaign to get signatures on a pro-consumer petition all summer. The goal is to demonstrate that gamers truly are more than just teenage boys. Read the petition and consider signing it on the ECA site.

As promised in the Busy Gamer Podcast, here is the complete list of games due for release this week for PC/Mac, portables and consoles (plus some recent releases that slipped out when we weren't looking):

• DS: 101-in-1 Sports Megamix, Batman: The Brave and the Bold, I Love Beauty: Hollywood Makeover, Music On: Acoustic Guitar (DSiWare), My Exotic Farm (DSiWare), Professor Layton and the Unwound Future, Simply Mahjong (DSiWare) and Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions
• iPhone/iPad: Corporate Fury, Epic Citadel, Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars HD, Lamp of Aladdin, Mirror's Edge for iPhone, Mishap, Pac-Chain, Puzzle Agent, Rimelands: Hammer of Thor and Spider-Man: Total Mayhem
• Mac: The Sims 3: Fast Lane Stuff
• PC: Aion: Assault on Balaurea, Hollywood Squares, House M.D., King's Bounty: Armored Princess, The Sims 3: Fast Lane Stuff and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire
• PS3: Ace Armstrong vs. the Alien Scumbags! (PlayStation Store), H.A.W.X 2, R.U.S.E., Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions and TerRover (PlayStation Store)
• PS2: None
• PSP: Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep and UFC Undisputed 2010
• Wii: Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Fenimore Fillmore: The Westerner (WiiWare), NHL Slapshot, Samurai: Shodown III (Virtual Console) and Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions
• Xbox 360: Bridge (Game Room), H.A.W.X 2, Hard Hat (Game Room), NHL '11, Plants vs. Zombies (Arcade), Reversi (Game Room), R.U.S.E., Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions, Thunder Castle (Game Room) and Video Chess (Game Room) 

So, what will you be picking up - or is this week a pass? Any games we missed? Anything slip (as these almost inevitably do)? Please let us know...

Here are this week's downloads, demos and videos for the Wii and Nintendo DS:

• WiiWare: Fenimore Fillmore: The Westerner ($10)
• Virtual Console: Samurai: Shodown III ($9)
• DSiWare: Music On: Acoustic Guitar ($2), My Exotic Farm ($2) and Simply Mahjong ($2)
• Rock Band 2 tracks ($2 each; due Tuesday, September 7) "Beautiful," "Drop It Like It's Hot," "Ridin' In My Chevy," "Sensual Seduction," "Snoop's Upside Ya Head," "Tha Shiznit," "That's Tha Homie" and "Who Am I (What's My Name)?"by Snoop Dogg - Note: "Family friendly" tracks also work with Lego Rock Band.
• DS Demos (via Wii's Nintendo Channel): All repeats including Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth, America's Test Kitchen: Let's Get Cooking, Bakugan Battle Brawlers, Battle of Giants: Mutant Insects, Brain Age, Brain Age 2, Crosswords DS, Deca Sports DS, Dragon Ball: Origins 2, Flash Focus, Fossil Fighters, Ivy the Kiwi?, Mystery Case Files: MillionHeir, Personal Trainer: Math, Picross 3D, Rhythm Heaven, Rooms DS and Women's Murder Club: Games of Passion
• Game Videos: Etrian Odyssey: The Drownded City, Fenimore Fillmore: The Westerner, Fluidity, Kirby's Epic Yarn, Music On: Acoustic Guitar, My Exotic Farm, Professor Layton and the Unwound Future and Pokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver

• TerRover ($15)
• PixelJunk 3-in-1 Bundle ($20) with PixelJunk Eden, PixelJunk Monsters and PixelJunk Racers 2nd Lap
• Dragon Age: Origins Witch Hunt ($7)
• Mafia II Jimmy's Vendetta ($10)
• Transformers: War For Cybertron Map and Character Pack #2 ($10)
• Clash Of The Titans Hade's Challenge Quest Pack ($2)
• Buzz!: Quiz TV and Buzz!: Quiz World The Puzzle Quiz ($6)
• Tiger Woods PGA Tour '11 Favorites Courses Pack ($20),  Fantasy Pack ($10) and New Courses Pack ($10)
• UFC Undisputed 2010 TUF Pack ($2)
• Guitar Hero 5 Rock 1 Track Pack ($11 or $2 each) with "Epic" by Faith No More, "I Stand Alone" by Godsmack,  "Nookie" by Limp Bizkit, "The Dope Show" by Marilyn Manson, "Blue Monday" by Orgy and "Last Resort" by Papa Roach
• Rock Band/Rock Band 2 tracks ($2 each) "Beautiful," "Drop It Like It's Hot," "Ridin' In My Chevy," "Sensual Seduction," "Snoop's Upside Ya Head," "Tha Shiznit," "That's Tha Homie" and "Who Am I (What's My Name)?" by Snoop Dogg and Rock Band Network tracks ($1-2 each) "Dr. Doom" by The Acacia Strain, "Valkyries" by Amberian Dawn, "We Are the One" by Anti-Flag, "Bleed" by Meshuggah and "Wake Up" by Me Talk Pretty - Note: "Family friendly" tracks also work with Lego Rock Band.
• Demos: Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’hoole, Quantum Theory, Sengoku Basara: Samurai Heroes and TerRover
• Game Videos: Bioshock 2 Minerva’s Den, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age: Origins Witch Hunt, Killzone 3 Multiplayer, NBA 2K11, Red Dead Redemption Legends And Killers, TerRover, Pulse and Qore Episode 28 ($3) featuring Dead Rising 2, Enslaved and Fallout: New Vegas
• Themes: Shank ($1), TerRover (free), Bianca Premium ($2), Hot For Teacher ($2), Lights ($1.50), Mechatron ($1.50), NCAA Dynamic ($3 each) and Wendy Premium ($2)
• Wallpaper: TerRover (free)
• Avatars: Street Fighter Alpha 3 ($0.50 each), Super Street Fighter IV ($0.50 each) and Street Fighter Ryu ($0.50)
• PSP: Ace Armstrong vs. The Alien Scumbags ($7), Ace Combat Joint Assault ($40) and Hannspree Ten Kate Honda SBK Superbike World Championship ($10)
• PSP Game Videos: Pulse
• PSP Themes: Bianca ($1.50 each), Hot For Teacher ($2), Mechatron  ($1.50) and Wendy ($1.50 each)
• PlayStation Home Items (usually priced $0.50-7.50 each): Brimstone Poker, Kane and Lynch 2: Dog Days, MAG and Top Gun
• PlayStation Plus Exclusives ($50/year, $18/3 months):
  • Freebies: Blast Off, God of War: Ghost of Sparta PSP demo, UFC Undisputed 2010 TUF Pack, Warhawk trial, Warhawk Booster Combo, Warhawk dynamic theme, Qore Episode 28 and Mystical Fractals theme
  • Discounts: Ratchet & Clank dynamic theme ($1.50 off)

Apple finally launched Game Center, its iPhone/iPod Touch feature with friends lists, leaderboards and achievements. To get it, you need an iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS or iPod Touch 2nd generation or greater - iPads and iPhone 3Gs need not apply at this time (though the iPhone 3G does get a lomg overdue speed boost with iOS 4.1 so you'll still want to install the update!).

Only a handful of games support Game Center - notably, Enigmo 2, Farmville, Field Runners, Flight Control, Ms. Pac-Man, Nanosaur 2, Real Racing and Zen Bound 2 - though more are on the way. You can find Game Center-enabled games by clicking "Find Game Center Games" in the Games section of the new app you'll use to sign up and access Friends lists.

Speaking of signing up, you'll want to do so as soon as possible to nab your preferred nickname. You can create more than one nickname per device, but you'll need to sign out completely and supply a different e-mail address. Friends lists can reportedly reach 200+ names, but there's no way to sort them - they appear in the order they are accepted...

• Arcade: Dance! It's Your Stage ($10) and Plants vs. Zombies ($15)
• Game Room ($3-5 each; no new Game Pack download this week): Bridge, Hard Hat, Reversi, Thunder Castle and Video Chess
• Mass Effect 2 Lair of the Shadow Broker ($10)
• Dragon Age: Origins Witch Hunt ($7)
• Mafia II Jimmy's Vendetta Pack ($10)
• Transformers: War For Cybertron Map and Character Pack #2 ($10)
• Clash Of The Titans Hade's Challenge Quest Pack ($2)
• Guitar Hero 5 Rock 1 Track Pack ($11 or $2 each) with "Epic" by Faith No More, "I Stand Alone" by Godsmack,  "Nookie" by Limp Bizkit, "The Dope Show" by Marilyn Manson, "Blue Monday" by Orgy and "Last Resort" by Papa Roach
• Rock Band/Rock Band 2 Snoop Dogg Pack 01 ($13.50 or $2 each) "Beautiful," "Drop It Like It's Hot," "Ridin' In My Chevy," "Sensual Seduction," "Snoop's Upside Ya Head," "Tha Shiznit," "That's Tha Homie" and "Who Am I (What's My Name)?" by Snoop Dogg and Rock Band Network Megamix 01 (free) - Note: "Family friendly" tracks also work with Lego Rock Band.
• Rock Band Network tracks ($1-3; Rock Band 2 required to download and play) "Girls Love Techno" by Scott Attrill, "I've Got a Feeling" by Blackberry River Band, "Fool" by Brownies, "Picture Perfect" by The Fury, "The Gun Show" by In This Moment, "Determined (Vows of Vengeance)" by Kataklysm, "iPhone" by Rhune Kincaid, "Ring Capacity" by Kirby Krackle, "United" by The Knew, "Down Below" by Kramus, "Bridges and Overpasses" by Modern Skirts, "The Pizza Morgana Song" by Hilit Rosental and Corbomite Games, "Beautiful Girl" by Sophie B. Hawkins and "Skate or Die" by Teenage Bottlerocket  
• Lips tracks ($2 each) "Donuts, Go Nuts!" (from 'Splosion Man) by Matt "Chainsaw" Chaney, "Break Your Heart" by Taio Cruz feat. Ludacris and "Bad Day" by Daniel Powter
• Games on Demand: Karaoke Revolution: American Idol Encore 2 ($30)
• Demos: DJ Hero 2, Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock and R.U.S.E. plus all Xbox Live Arcade, Game Room, Indie games and Rock Band Network tracks
• Indie Games (usually $1-10 each): 360 Mega Pack HD Remix, Abaddon: Retribution, Angry Robot Rampage, Avatar Bowman 2, Avatar Fact or Fiction, Blockey, Evacuation, Holy Moley, Human Invasion, Jewel Dervish, Jimbo vs. Legion of Darkness, Juggle!, Madam Zhen's Tent of Mystery, Neighbourhood is Gang Infested, Old School Adventure, Pure Carnage, Techno Kitten Adventure, That Orange Guy, Vexis and アバター アップ オンライン ("Up Avatars Online")
• Game Videos: Bloody Good Time, Call of Duty: Black Ops, Dead Rising 2, Halo: Reach, Mafia II and Plants vs. Zombies
• Themes: Halo: Reach ($3), Scott Pilgrim vs. The World Premium ($3) and Wendy's (free)
• Pictures: Wendy's (free; one enters you in a sweepstakes)
• Avatar Items (usually priced $1-5 each): Plants vs. Zombies

As always, we picked enough swag at #PAX Prime to share some around. We have two prize packs this week.

Prize #1: The Epic PAX Prime 2010 Swag Bag (view gallery with closeups). Contents include: LittleBigPlanet Sackboy doll, full Guitar Hero: Van Halen game for Xbox 360 with Guitar Hero cap and keychain, Portal 2 t-shirt (L), Infamous 2 tee (L), Gears of War shirt (SM) with sticker, Dragon Quest Slime bag, Dragon Age II inflatable sword, Dead Rising 2 Chuck bobblehead, Insomniac Games Yo-Yo, Kung Fu Live headband, Gig: Rise of the Six String t-shirt (L), Halo: Reach Noble 6 Avatar Helmet code, Lego Universe beta code, Sword of the Stars free game code, Magic: The Gathering cards, Marvel Super Hero Squad Online cards, Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood "Rebuilding trust with your friends" brochure and postcards, Bethesda Softworks postcards, Dungeons & Dragons comic, Super Meat Boy comic, Zombie Pirates comic, Telara Chronicles comic and MUCH MORE including an array of unique buttons, keychains, lanyards, cards, offers and other cool nicknacks. Winning this makes it almost like you were there!

Prize #2: The Halo: Reach Short But Sweet Pack. For the launch of Halo: Reach, we have a simple yet elegant and very shiny Reach poster signed by Bungie (view detail). We only got one, so you're getting our one and only poster here. And, topping it off, we're including a Noble 6 Avatar Helmet code. True Halo fans won't care about all of that other stuff anyway!

As usual, pick your prize or play for both with bonus entries! Here's how to enter and maximize your chances to win:

1. Enter a comment here, as usual. That's all you really NEED to do. 
2. Tweet the following on Twitter: Win Epic #PAX 2010 Swag Bag and/or Halo: #Reach signed poster with Noble 6 Avatar Helmet code RT + enter: http://bit.ly/9l7z4Z #bgnfsf
3. Review (or re-review) our Busy Gamer Podcast on iTunes
4. Review (or re-review) the Best of Busy Gamer Podcast on iTunes. This is a short audio highlights feed with our reviews, audio tours and other timeless bits.

If you do 2, 3 and/or 4 (and why wouldn't you?), you do need to let us know your Twitter/iTunes name(s) in your comment so we can find, verify and include your bonus entries in the drawing and match them up to contact you if one of them wins. If we can't easily tell who you are on Twitter and/or iTunes, the bonus entry is disqualified.

You DO have to enter a comment here and follow the other rules to be eligible. Here's how to enter:

This week, we deliver Part 1 of our PAX Prime 2010 coverage with highlights from the Rock Band 3 panel (including details on DLC updates, how pro guitar works, track exports and the new hardcore achievement), a little hands-on with the new keyboard playing "Sister Christian," a tour of Portal 2 co-operative play complete with fresh taunts from GLaDOS, an oh-so-brief trip to Fallout: New Vegas where GrrlGotGame shows her evil side and our Surprise Find of the Show: the versatile action puzzle platformer Raskulls.

We also examine the iPhone Game Center launch, discuss the increasingly less mythical (though still intangible) Duke Nukem Forever and play a little Dead Rising 2: Case Zero.

Get all of that - plus game release news, DLC and giveaways - in about 20 minutes!

Our goal is to provide a short summary (typically 10-15 minutes, longer when necessary) of news and helpful commentary every Sunday so that you'll have a great jumping off point for your busy gamer week. Here's what we pack into each episode:

• The week's game releases
• A quick look back at the previous week's releases, news and downloadable content highlights
• What we're playing/mini-reviews
• Giveaways
• Comment of the week

With Halo: Reach nearly upon is, we wanted to share the virtual wealth we gained at PAX Prime: We have four more Noble 6 Avatar Helmet codes to send your way! We'll pick random winners from among everyone who enters by 5p Pacific today. Want to double your chances to win? After you enter your comment here (with your Twitter name so we can match up your entry!), tweet this:

Enter to win Halo: #Reach Noble 6 Avatar Helmet codes and other #PAX prizes at BusyGamerNews.com: http://bit.ly/cFoQZr #bgnnoble6

This giveaway is a bonus for those busy gamers who are vigilant and lucky. The usual rules apply except that the entry period is shorter.

To enter:

As promised in the Busy Gamer Podcast, here is the complete list of games due for release this week for PC/Mac, portables and consoles (plus some recent releases that slipped out when we weren't looking):

• DS: Alpha and Omega, Deal or No Deal Anniversary Edition, Deer Drive, Castle Conqueror (DSiWare), Crazy Pinball (DSiWare), Fancy Nancy: Tea Party Time, Gormiti: The Lords of Nature, Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole, Lord of the Rings: Aragorn's Quest, myNotebook: Tan (DSiWare), Phineas and Ferb Ride Again and Scooby Doo and the Spooky Swamp
• iPhone/iPad: Gamebook Adventures 3: Slaves of Rema, Real Golf 2011, Pizza Boy, Slice It! and Solomon's Boneyard
• Mac: Brunhilda and The Dark Crystal, Chess Complete, Demolition Company and Tiger Eye: Curse Of The Riddle Box
• PC: Brunhilda and The Dark Crystal, Crazy Machines: Gold Edition, Demolition Company, Dream Day Wedding: Bella Italia, Herod's Lost Tomb, Hunting Unlimited 5, Jekyll and Hyde, Painkiller Pandemonium, Paradise Quest, Patrician IV, Pet Vet: Animal Hospital Triple Treat, Robinson Crusoe 2 and The Cursed Pirates, Superbug and Tiger Eye: Curse Of The Riddle Box
• PS3: Cabela's North American Adventures 2011, EyePet, Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole, My Aquarium (PlayStation Store), Kung Fu Rider, Paintball 2, PlayStation Move, Racquet Sports, Rapala Pro Bass Fishing, Space Invaders Infinity Gene (PlayStation Store), Sports Champions (also included with Move Starter Bundle), Start the Party, Truth or Lies and Worms 2: Armageddon (PlayStation Store)
• PS2: Cabela's North American Adventures 2011, Lord of the Rings: Aragorn's Quest and Scooby Doo and the Spooky Swamp
• PSP: Cabela's North American Adventures 2011, Gladiator Begins, Lord of the Rings: Aragorn's Quest and Phantasy Star Portable 2
• Wii: Adventure on Lost Island (WiiWare), Cabela's North American Adventures 2011, Deal or No Deal Special Edition, Gormiti: The Lords of Nature, Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole, Rapala Pro Bass Fishing, Scooby Doo and the Spooky Swamp, Swords, Truth or Lies, Wild West Shootout and Winter Sports 3: The Great Tournament
• Xbox 360: Cabela's North American Adventures 2011, Flak Attack (Game Room), Halo: Reach, King of Fighters: Sky Stage (Arcade), Kitten Kaboodle (Game Room), Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole, Rapala Pro Bass Fishing, Sonic Adventure (Arcade), Space Invaders Infinity Gene (Arcade) and Truth or Lies

So, what will you be picking up - or is this week a pass? Any games we missed? Anything slip (as these almost inevitably do)? Please let us know...

Here are this week's downloads, demos and videos for the Wii and Nintendo DS:

• WiiWare: Adventure on Lost Island ($5)
• Virtual Console: None
• DSiWare: Castle Conqueror ($5), Crazy Pinball ($5) and myNotebook: Tan ($5)
• Rock Band 2 tracks ($2 each; due Tuesday, September 14) "Holy Diver" and "Stand Up and Shout" by Dio, "Nirvana" by Juliana Hatfield, "Irish Blood, English Heart" by Morrissey, "This Charming Man" by The Smiths, "Straight Lines" by Silverchair and "Writing on the Walls" by Underoath - Note: "Family friendly" tracks also work with Lego Rock Band.
• DS Demos (via Wii's Nintendo Channel): All repeats including Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth, America's Test Kitchen: Let's Get Cooking, Bakugan Battle Brawlers, Battle of Giants: Mutant Insects, Brain Age, Brain Age 2, Crosswords DS, Deca Sports DS, Dragon Ball: Origins 2, Flash Focus, Fossil Fighters, Ivy the Kiwi?, Mystery Case Files: MillionHeir, Personal Trainer: Math, Picross 3D, Rhythm Heaven, Rooms DS and Women's Murder Club: Games of Passion
• Game Videos: Adventure on Lost Island, Castle Conqueror and Professor Layton and the Unwound Future

• Space Invaders Infinity Gene ($10)
• Worms 2: Armageddon ($15)
• My Aquarium ($5)
• Tumble ($10)
• Monkey Island Special Edition 1 and 2 Bundle ($7.50)
• Megaman 9 DLC Bundle ($5) and Themes Bundle ($6)
• Cuboid Ultimate Bundle ($13)
• Magic Orbz Extreme Bundle ($13) and Level Bundle ($5)
• Mahjong Tales Wisdom Bundle ($11)
• Smash Cars Extreme Bundle ($13)
• PS1 for PS3/PSP: Soviet Strike ($5)
• Rock Band/Rock Band 2 tracks ($2 each) "Holy Diver" and "Stand Up and Shout” by Dio, "Nirvana" by Juliana Hatfield, "Irish Blood, English Heart" by Morrissey, "Straight Lines" by Silverchair, "This Charming Man" by The Smiths and "Writing on the Walls" by Underoath plus Rock Band Network tracks ($1-2 each) "The Final Episode (Let’s Change The Channel)" by Asking Alexandria, "Nightlife Commando" and "Swallow The Razor" by Bang Camaro, "Shop Vac" by Jonathan Coulton and "Africa" by Quartered - Note: "Family friendly" tracks also work with Lego Rock Band.
• Demos: EyePet (Move required), FIFA Soccer '11, NBA 2K11, Racquet Sports (Move required), Space Invaders Infinity Gene, Tumble and Worms 2: Armageddon
• Game Videos: Deus Ex 3: Human Revolution, The Fight: Lights Out, LittleBigPlanet 2, No Heroes Allowed! and Shaun White Skateboarding
• Themes: Space Invaders Infinity Gene (free), MLB 10: The Show (free), NCAA Dynamic ($3 each) and Play On Words ($1.50)
• Wallpaper: PixelJunk Racers 2nd Lap (free)
• Avatars: Mega Man 10 and Street Fighter ($0.50 each)
• PSP: Cabela's North American Adventures ($20), Caterpillar ($5), Gladiator Begins ($35), Panda Craze ($5), Phantasy Star Portable 2 ($40) and UFC Undisputed 2010 ($40) plus LittleBigPlanet PSP Lunar Landing Costumes (free)
• PSP Game Videos: Knights in the Nightmare, No More Heroes Allowed! and Valkyria Chronicles 2
• PSP Themes: Family Guy ($1.50), Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs ($1.50) and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia ($1.50)
• PSP Wallpaper: Gladiator Begins (free)
• PlayStation Home Items (usually priced $0.50-7.50 each): Bomberman and MAG

Too busy to devote 12+ hours a day to your gaming habit? Here's a review that's sensitive to your needs: Short and focused on just the things that a busy gamer like you really needs to know.

Reviewed On: Xbox 360.

In a Nutshell: Basically, a paid demo for the upcoming Dead Rising 2 - with benefits. You play new protagonist Chuck, a rugged motocross star trying to reach Fortune City with his zombie-infected daughter. The good news? She'll live (but still look creepy as hell) as long as she gets a shot of Zombrex every 12 hours. The bad news? You're broke down in some Podunk town that doesn't have an open pharmacy. Oh, and it's filled with zombies. Lots and lots of zombies.

You fight timed missions, many of which overlap, to find the Zombrex, arrange a way out of town and kick some ass in creative ways. The developers have included a workbench this time around that allows you to create new and, in some cases, really nifty new weapons. But first, you have to figure out what the magic combos are, through trial and error or by finding or earning cards that describe what to do.

Learning Curve: Dead Rising vets can skip the training and dive into the game - but pay attention, a few things have changed. You'll need to climb up buildings now, and it's up to you to visit the dude who doles out missions. No more annoying phone calls - but if you don't make time to find/visit him, you'll miss out on a lot of opportunities.

People who are new to the franchise are likely to have a frustrating experience until Chuck levels up a bit. You may want to take your first day's walkthrough as a learning experience: Run around, kill zombies, rescue some people for bonus points and ignore the main mission. You'll get the "bad" ending, but you'll also become a stronger, faster Chuck who can kick serious ass when you start the day over - sort of like Groundhog Day with leveling. Dead Rising lets you keep all of your earned advantages - including levels, weapon cards and special moves - when you restart the game even if you don't finish the "day."

The Dead Rising franchise is about finding unusual ways to take out the bad guys. Just about everything is a weapon, some good, some pointless. Run around, try stuff out and don't be afraid to dump things that don't work for you. Guns are rarer than melee, but they are out there - and the shooting controls work pretty well this time.

The Save Game: Improved, but still not ideal. One of the biggest complaints about the original Dead Rising was that you had to find a designated save point - usually a bathroom, but there was also a gym that no one ever found - and you had to save over your single game slot. In other words, make one bad save choice and you were hosed. Case Zero offers three slots, which feels luxurious after suffering with the single slot option for so long. You still have to find a bathroom, but they are plentiful even in the small town. (Tip: There's a save point in the café, by the slot machines. Centrally located, and near where you pick up missions!) It's not save anywhere, anytime, but it's definitely better than it was.

Family Factor: No. Seriously, just no.

Buy or Skip? This is DLC only via Xbox Live Arcade, though there is a demo so you can try before you buy. I'm loving the game, because there are so many different "games" to play (see my tips below for details). This is a pretty good deal for just $5, and a must-buy if you plan to get Dead Rising 2 - you'll be able to enter the game with a Level 5 Chuck, which is a definite advantage in a game genre where repeating sections to level up is par for the course.

On a Personal Note: I'm a huge fan of Dead Rising, and continue to pull it out every few months just to run around and wreak havoc. I've never fully finished the first game - I simply hate that garage! - but for me, it's not about the main mission. It's about the creativity and sheer joy of finding new ways to try to save the world (well, until it blows up in the end because I haven't finished it). So I was extremely excited to hear there were enough zombie-slayin' masochists like me out there to justify a sequel. I'm loving Case Zero, and what I played at PAX Prime indicates there is more fun to be had once we reach Fortune City.

Tips and Tricks: Whether you're a katana-wielding, photo-taking Dead Rising killing machine or brand-new to the franchise, there is a lot to enjoy in Dead Rising 2: Case Zero. Here are some tips for getting the most of your game. In order to level up, you must get down with the sickness, ladies and gentlemen.

Here's how: Make up your own games!

True Dead Rising aficionados know it's not about the main mission - it's about making up mini-games to play. The developers have acknowledged this with several opportunities to go forth and have fun. The downside: your in-game daughter probably won't be too happy at the end (no, this is not a spoiler). But if you can handle it, ignore the main mission and go for the levels. Here are my recommendations:

SPOILER WARNING: Details about the Case Zero environment and map follow below. There are no story spoilers, however.

• Arcade: King of Fighters: Sky Stage ($10), Space Invaders: Infinity Gene ($10) and Sonic Adventure ($10) plus Sonic Adventure DX Upgrade ($5) with 60 missions and Metal Sonic
• Game Room ($3-5 each; no new Game Pack download this week): Flak Attack and Kitten Kaboodle
• Sniper: Ghost Warrior Map Pack ($10)
• UFC Undisputed 2010 TUF Pack ($2)
• Rock Band/Rock Band 2 tracks ($2 each) "Holy Diver" and "Stand Up and Shout” by Dio, "Nirvana" by Juliana Hatfield, "Irish Blood, English Heart" by Morrissey, "Straight Lines" by Silverchair, "This Charming Man" by The Smiths and "Writing on the Walls" by Underoath - Note: "Family friendly" tracks also work with Lego Rock Band.
• Rock Band Network tracks ($1-3; Rock Band 2 required to download and play) "Latest Heartbreak" by 22-20s, "Radioland" by Audible Mainframe, "Hello Fascination" by Breathe Carolina, "I Want You to See" by Justin Joseph Edwards, "World on Fire" by Firewind, "Erratic Eruption" by Freen in Green, "The One You Want" by The Get Up Kids, "Appetite" by The Gracious Few, "Burn" by Mike Orlando, "Dirty Hair Party" by Pink Flag, "Dial M for Murder" by The Riptides, "Difference" by Rivethead, "Welcome to Our Town" by Stagehands, "Modern Mathematics" by Terrorhorse and "Tight" by Terror Stick
• Lips Andrew Lloyd Webber Song Pack 2 ($5.50 or $2 each) with "The Phantom Of The Opera," "Don't Cry For Me Argentina" and "Any Dream Will Do"
• Games on Demand: Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe ($30), Sacred 2: Fallen Angel ($30) and Shadowrun ($30)
• Demos: NBA 2K11 and FIFA Soccer '11 plus all Xbox Live Arcade, Game Room, Indie games and Rock Band Network tracks
• Indie Games (usually $1-10 each): Action Arcade Wrestling, Autospira, Avatar Baseball, Avatar Crate Crusaders, Avatar VR: 8-Bit Battle, Cattle Crashers, Hypership Out of Control, Mama & Son: Clean House, Ricochet Assassin, Snailien Invasion! and へっぽこ騎士 ("Tinker Knight")
• Game Videos: Halo: Reach and NBA 2K11
• Themes: Halo: Reach (free), Space Invaders Infinity Gene ($2 each), Axe Music (free) and Honor the Code (free)
• Pictures: Halo: Reach (free; enters you in sweepstakes), Space Invaders Infinity Gene ($1 each), Axe Music (free), Konsole Kingz ($1) and Honor the Code (free)
• Avatar Items (usually priced $1-5 each): Halo: Reach

You thought our PAX Prime giveaways were over? We still have a few awesome goodies left to share. Choose from one of three prize packs this week, or play for all three:

Prize #1: Son of Epic PAX 2010 Swag Bag (view gallery with closeups). Contents include full Guitar Hero: Van Halen game for Xbox 360, Guitar Hero keychain, Dragon Quest Slime bag, Dragon Age II inflatable sword,  Halo: Reach Noble 6 Avatar Helmet code, Lego Universe beta code, Rift beta code, Brink "Message in a Bottle" t-shirt (XL), Hunted: The Demon's Forge tee (XL), Gig: Rise of the Six String t-shirt (L), Soma Games tee (L), Kung Fu Live headband, Magic: The Gathering cards, Marvel Super Hero Squad Online cards, Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood "Rebuilding trust with your friends" brochure and postcards, Bethesda Softworks postcards, "Tycho" poker chip, Okami wristband, Dungeons & Dragons comic, Super Meat Boy comic, PAX Prime 2010 program and MUCH MORE including an array of unique buttons, offers and other cool nicknacks.

Prize #2: Awesome PAX Poster Pack (view gallery). Mailing tube packed with two amazing Brink posters (one of which is pictured above), eyepopping Dungeons & Dragons Red Box poster, signed The Maw poster, signed 'Splosion Man poster, Metroid: Other M poster, double-sided poster with Rift and End of Nations and Age of Empires Online large sticker.

Prize #3: Mogworld by Yahtzee "Zero Punctuation" Croshaw. We snagged two copies of this book. Lucky for you, Dark Horse says we should share the wealth. This is your chance to critique the critic known for ravaging your favorite videogames! Here's the jacket copy in case you need convincing that this should be at least among your prize picks: "In a world full to bursting with would-be heroes, Jim couldn't be less interested in saving the day. His fireballs fizzle. He's awfully grumpy. Plus, he's been dead for about sixty years. On his side, he's got a few shambling corpses, an inept thief, and a powerful death wish. But he's up against tough odds: angry mobs of adventurers, a body falling apart at the seams, and a team of programmers racing a deadline to hammer out the last few bugs in their AI." Yeah, we can't wait to read it either!

As usual, pick your prize or play for both with bonus entries! Here's how to enter and maximize your chances to win:

1. Enter a comment here, as usual. That's all you really NEED to do. 
2. Tweet the following on Twitter: Win Son of Epic #PAX 2010 Swag Bag, Awesome PAX Poster Pack and/or Mogworld by Yahtzee Croshaw RT + enter: http://bit.ly/cXWO3n #bgnfsf
3. Review (or re-review) our Busy Gamer Podcast on iTunes
4. Review (or re-review) the Best of Busy Gamer Podcast on iTunes. This is a short audio highlights feed with our reviews, audio tours and other timeless bits.

If you do 2, 3 and/or 4 (and why wouldn't you?), you do need to let us know your Twitter/iTunes name(s) in your comment so we can find, verify and include your bonus entries in the drawing and match them up to contact you if one of them wins. If we can't easily tell who you are on Twitter and/or iTunes, the bonus entry is disqualified.

You DO have to enter a comment here and follow the other rules to be eligible. Here's how to enter:

This week, we deliver Part 2 of our PAX Prime 2010 coverage with hands-on time with PlayStation Move and Sports Champions (learn what surprised us, both good and bad!), talk to the creative director of Hydrophobia about the surprising inspiration for the game's heroine, interview an artist on Epic Mickey about the title's unique RPG platformer dynamic (and what makes Warren Spector and Disney such a potentially powerful combination) and explore Lego Universe in depth with the game's producer and learn why this is a must-have MMO for our 7-year-old, Pikachu Fan.

Also: We finish Dead Rising 2: Case Zero (complete with tips from GrrlGotGame), and then descend back into Rapture for BioShock 2 Minerva's Den.

Get all of that - plus game release news, DLC and giveaways - in under 30 minutes!

Our goal is to provide a short summary (typically 10-15 minutes, longer when necessary) of news and helpful commentary every Sunday so that you'll have a great jumping off point for your busy gamer week. Here's what we typically pack into each episode:

• The week's game releases
• A quick look back at the previous week's releases, news and downloadable content highlights
• What we're playing/mini-reviews
• Giveaways
• Comment of the week

As promised in the Busy Gamer Podcast, here is the complete list of games due for release this week for PC/Mac, portables and consoles (plus some recent releases that slipped out when we weren't looking):

• DS: Etrian Odyssey III: The Drowned City, Everyday Soccer (DSiWare), Farm Frenzy: Animal Country, Go Series: 10 Second Run (DSiWare), Jewels of Tropical Lost Island, Little Bears, Midnight Mysteries: The Edgar Allan Poe Conspiracy, New Carnival Games, Nintendo Countdown Calendar (DSiWare) and Tinkerbell and the Great Fairy Rescue
• iPhone/iPad: Beyond Ynth, Buganoids, Danger Derby, Gangstar: Miami Vindication, Pocket Frogs, Robot Unicorn Attack Heavy Metal, The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition for iPad, Sims 3 Ambitions and Time Crisis 2nd Strike
• Mac: None
• PC: Civilization V, Darksiders, Final Fantasy XIV Collector's Edition (Standard Edition releases Sept 30), Ship Simulator Extremes, Victoria II and World Golf 2011
• PS3: Blade Kitten (PlayStation Store), Brunswick Pro Bowling (Move), F1 2010, DeathSpank: Thongs of Virtue (PlayStation Store), High Velocity Bowling (Move) and Sonic Adventure (PlayStation Store)
• PS2: None
• PSP: None
• Wii: Aero the Acrobat 2 (Virtual Console), Big Bass Challenge, Club Penguin: Game Day!, Family Party: Fitness Fun, Flip's Twisted World, Kidz Bop Dance Party, New Carnival Games, Remington Super Slam Hunting: North America, Triple Throwing Sports (WiiWare) and The Very Hungry Caterpillar's ABCs (WiiWare)
• Xbox 360: Alien Breed 2: Assault (Arcade), Blade Kitten (Arcade), Bowling (Game Room), DeathSpank: Thongs of Virtue (Arcade), F1 2010, Galactic Warriors (Game Room), Horse Racing (Game Room), Plaque Attack (Game Room) and Serious Sam HD: The Second Encounter (Arcade)

So, what will you be picking up - or is this week a pass? Any games we missed? Anything slip (as these almost inevitably do)? Please let us know...

Here are this week's downloads, demos and videos for the Wii and Nintendo DS:

• WiiWare: Triple Throwing Sports ($5) and The Very Hungry Caterpillar's ABCs ($8)
• Virtual Console: Aero the Acrobat 2 ($8)
• DSiWare: Everyday Soccer ($5), Go Series: 10 Second Run ($2) and Nintendo Countdown Calendar ($2)
• Rock Band 2 tracks ($2 each; due Tuesday, September 21) "Is This Love," "No Woman No Cry," "Could You Be Loved," "Three Little Birds," "Buffalo Soldier," "Stir It Up," "One Love/People Get Ready," "I Shot the Sheriff," "Waiting in Vain," "Redemption Song," "Satisfy My Soul," "Exodus" and "Jamming" by Bob Marley and the Wailers - Note: "Family friendly" tracks also work with Lego Rock Band.
• DS Demos (via Wii's Nintendo Channel): All repeats including Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth, America's Test Kitchen: Let's Get Cooking, Bakugan Battle Brawlers, Battle of Giants: Mutant Insects, Brain Age, Brain Age 2, Crosswords DS, Deca Sports DS, Dragon Ball: Origins 2, Flash Focus, Fossil Fighters, Ivy the Kiwi?, Mystery Case Files: MillionHeir, Personal Trainer: Math, Picross 3D, Rhythm Heaven, Rooms DS and Women's Murder Club: Games of Passion
• Game Videos: Go Series: 10 Second Run, Kirby's Epic Yarn, Super Mario Bros., Super Metroid, Triple Throwing Sports and The Very Hungry Caterpillar's ABCs

Due to scheduled downtime much of the day Tuesday, the PlayStation Store was updated early - but you'll probably be hindered by the combination of the late evening release and mandatory PS3 v3.5 firmware update with 3D Blu-Ray movie support and griefer feedback (seriously, who schedules these things so close together?!).

When you do regain access to the store, here's what you'll find:

• Blade Kitten ($15)
• DeathSpank: Thongs of Virtue ($15)
• Sonic Adventure ($10) and DX Upgrade ($5) with 60 missions and Metal Sonic
• Red Dead Redemption Liars And Cheats Pack ($10)
• ModNation Racers Nathan Drake Mod and Kart ($2)
• Play Memories (free) photo viewing app
• EyePet Race Car Driver Pack (free) and Farm Animals Pack ($3)
• Skate 3 San Van Party Pack ($7)
• Clash of the Titans Zeus Challenge Quest Pack ($2)
• Planet Mini-Golf Stronghold Island ($2.50)
• Dead Rising 2 various free co-op packs for use when someone owns the for-pay content packs (which don't seem to be released yet)
• PS1 for PS3/PSP: Cho Aniki ($6) and Gaia Seed ($6)
• Rock Band/Rock Band 2 Bob Marley and the Wailers Legend Album ($20 or $2 each) with "Is This Love," "No Woman No Cry," "Could You Be Loved," "Three Little Birds," "Buffalo Soldier," "Stir It Up," "One Love/People Get Ready," "I Shot the Sheriff," "Waiting in Vain," "Redemption Song," "Satisfy My Soul," "Exodus" and "Jamming" and Rock Band Network tracks ($1-2 each) "Riot Act" by Exodus, "Step Up (I'm On It)" by Maylene & The Sons of Disaster, "Crash Years" by The New Pornographers, "Chelsea" by The Summer Set and "Packet Flier" by Terrorhorse - Note: "Family friendly" tracks also work with Lego Rock Band.
• Demos: Blade Kitten, Deathspank: Thongs of Virtue, DJ Hero 2, Enslaved: Odyssey of the West, Kung Fu Rider (Move), NBA ELITE 11 and Sports Champions (Move)
• Game Videos: Bulletstorm, HAWX 2, Mafia II, Mass Effect 2, Medal Of Honor, ModNation Racers, Shaun White Skateboarding, TV Superstars and Pulse magazine
• Themes: EyePet Dynamic ($3), Kung Fu Rider Dynamic ($3), Sports Champions (free), Sports Champions Dynamic ($3) and NCAA Dynamic ($3 each)
• Wallpaper: PixelJunk Racers 2nd Lap (free)
• Avatars: Mega Man 10 ($0.50), Sports Champions ($3 for bundle of 10 or $0.50 each) and PlayStation 15th Year Anniversary (free)
• PSP: 101-in-1 Megamix ($15) and CLADUN: This Is An RPG! ($20), plus Gladiator Begins DLC (free)
• PSP Game Videos: Pulse magazine
• PSP Wallpaper: Zenonia (free)
• PlayStation Home Items (usually priced $0.50-7.50 each): Dragon's Green minigolf
• PlayStation Plus Exclusives ($50/year, $18/3 months):
  • Freebies: Echoes, Syphon Filter 3 and Zen Pinball, plus High Velocity Bowling Move Compatibility Add-On, LittleBigPlanet avatars and Shades of Autumn theme
  • Early Access: Sword & Soldiers ($10)
  • Discounts: LittleBigPlanet Monster Costume Pack ($1.50 off), Cuboid ($5 off) and Savage Moon ($5 off)

What to do while the PlayStation Network is down for maintenance? Why not play for some PSP codes you can redeem when it's back (approx. 5 p.m Pacfici)?! We'll pick random winners from among everyone who enters by 5 p.m Pacific today (say whether you're playing for a specific code or both!):

• LocoRoco 2 full game download code, donated by Teujip
• God of War: Ghost of Sparta demo code

Want to double your chances to win or play for both? After you enter your comment here (with your Twitter name so we can match up your entry!), tweet this:

Enter to win LocoRoco 2 full game and God of War: Ghost of Sparta demo at BusyGamerNews.com: http://bit.ly/bl9XBM #bgnpsp

This giveaway is a bonus for those busy gamers who are vigilant and lucky. The usual rules apply except that the entry period is shorter.

To enter:

Simply post a comment on this page by 5 p.m. Pacific Time today - whatever is on your mind as long as it's not an ad or profane. DO NOT POST YOUR MAILING ADDRESS. If you are the winner, we will contact you via the e-mail address you enter in the form or DM your Twitter account if you provide one and follow Gamewatcher.

Note that unless you're an authenticated poster who has been active on the site and marked as trusted, your comment will NOT appear immediately. Do NOT double-post.

Entering here does not block you from entering the regular Free Stuff Friday for the Son of Epic PAX 2010 Swag Bag, Awesome PAX Poster Pack and Mogworld novel by Yahtzee Croshaw! So post here, and then go post there as well.

The discount classic PC gaming site Good Old Games (GOG.com) shut down unexpectedly this past weekend after suggestions that its DRM-free business model wasn't working, but it was revealed to be a marketing stunt and the site is relaunching Thursday.

The hoax began with the Sept. 17 tweet that "sometimes it's really hard being DRM-free... hard to keep things the way they are and keep management and publishers happy :(" - and then two days later, the ability to buy or redownload games was gone from the site. GOG.com promised existing customers would have the ability to redownload their purchases within the week and suggested the service would be reborn in some new form at a later date. Rumors about it being a hoax sprung up the same day (perhaps in part due to the promise of a free redownload offering - what's the business model in that?!) and customers began to lash out via social media about the apparent betrayal.

On the surface, you could see how a shutdown would inspire its customers to regret their postponed purchases from the service - and, in fact, initial tweets from fans over the "loss" communicated many wishes that they had bought all of those GOG.com games they had been contemplating. But when the truth became clear, that the site was simply coming out of an extended beta period, customers felt manipulated and angry.

GOG.com has issued an apology "to everyone who felt deceived or harmed in any way by the closedown of GOG.com. As a small company we don’t have a huge marketing budget and this why we could not miss a chance to generate some buzz." Assuming GOG.com continues to keep its prices low and games DRM-free and loaded with extras, that may suffice - at least for most fans of the downloadable games store.

But it's a valuable lesson for marketers on how quickly a viral misfire can sting a devoted customer base. If a temporary site shutdown was necessary to transition from the beta to the launch site, transparency and honesty would have delivered a less contentious outcome and might even have better primed demand for the online seller's expanded offering, which will include improved community features and the launch of the fan favorite RPG, Baldur's Gate...

• Arcade: Alien Breed 2: Assault ($10), Blade Kitten ($15), DeathSpank: Thongs of Virtue ($15) and Serious Sam HD: The Second Encounter ($15) plus two DeathSpank: Thongs of Virtue add-ons (free if you download the first week)
• Game Room ($3-5 each; requires Game Pack 010): Bowling, Galactic Warriors, Horse Racing and Plaque Attack
• Red Dead Redemption Liars And Cheats Pack ($10)
• Skate 3 San Van Party Pack ($7)
• Clash of the Titans Zeus Challenge Quest Pack ($2)
• Dead Rising 2 various free co-op packs for use when someone owns the for-pay content packs (which don't seem to be released yet)
• Rock Band/Rock Band 2 Bob Marley and the Wailers Legend Album ($20 or $2 each) with "Is This Love," "No Woman No Cry," "Could You Be Loved," "Three Little Birds," "Buffalo Soldier," "Stir It Up," "One Love/People Get Ready," "I Shot the Sheriff," "Waiting in Vain," "Redemption Song," "Satisfy My Soul," "Exodus" and "Jamming" - Note: "Family friendly" tracks also work with Lego Rock Band.
• Rock Band Network tracks ($1-3; Rock Band 2 required to download and play) "Threads" by Barefoot Truth, "I Couldn't Explain Why" by Citizen Cope, "Shiver" by Amy Courts, "Steppin' Lightly" by Gov't Mule, "Flightless Bird, American Mouth" by Iron & Wine, "I'm Amazed" by My Morning Jacket, "Chasing the Light" by Nautiluz, "Holy Ground" by New Rising Son, "Cup of Coffee" by The Novocaines, "Smash the Control Machine" by Otep, "Roman Candle" by Pink Flag, "Army of the Damned" by Pythia, "Hanuman" by Rodrigo y Gabriela, "Ready for Anything" by SexTon, "Saint Simon" by The Shins, "Americadio" by Slim Cessna's Auto Club, "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" by Ultra Saturday and "Epic Symphony in A Flat Minor, First Movement: Marching Out" by Van Friscia
• Lips tracks ($2 each) "Losing My Religion" by R.E.M. and "Looking For A New Love" by Jody Watley
• Games on Demand: Call of Duty: World at War ($30) and Tomb Raider Anniversary ($20)
• Demos: MySims SkyHeroes plus all Xbox Live Arcade, Game Room, Indie games and Rock Band Network tracks
• Indie Games (usually $1-10 each): Ant Mission, Anti-aircraft Warfare, ArchRobo: Robotic Annihilation, Aurelia, Avatar Puzzle Pop, Demo Durb, Didgery, Dossun World, Figment, FS Racing, Isagoras, Jungle (Animal Chess), Notebook Shooter, Nuclear Wasteland and Walketh
• Game Videos: Ace Combat: Assault Horizon, Asura's Wrath, BioShock 2 Minerva's Den, BioShock Infinite, DeathSpank: Thongs of Virtue, Deus Ex: Human Revolution, King of Fighters: Sky Stage, Mafia II Jimmy's Vendetta, Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Nail'd, Red Dead Redemption Liars and Cheats Pack, Steel Battalion: Heavy Armor, Trials HD Big Thrills Pack and Vanquish
• Themes: R.U.S.E. Premium ($3), Spartacus: Blood and Sand Premium ($3), Big Bang Theory (free) and Myfuture.com (free)
• Pictures: Big Bang Theory (free)
• Avatar Items (usually priced $1-5 each): Borderlands and Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock

To mark the launch of the last Bungie Halo game, we've dug out a few relics to pass along:

• Halo 3. If you don't have this landmark game with arguably the best score of the series, or you just need an extra copy for LAN parties and such, here's your chance.
• Halo: First Strike. This novel is by Eric Nylund, who once met with me and gave me advice on breaking into game writing - but, alas, didn't sign the book.
• Halo grunt console stickers, designed to be affixed to the sides of your Xbox 360 but you can do whatever you want with them.
• Halo 2 calendar with 12 months of poster quality art.
• Xbox Live headset carrying case, a rare beta reward from the days of the original Xbox!

You don't have to pick a prize this time, though you're welcome to be generous and offer to forgo any items you don't actually need. In that case, if you're drawn first, anything you don't want will go to the runner up. It's your karma.

Here's how to enter and maximize your chances to win:

1. Enter a comment here, as usual. That's all you really NEED to do. 
2. Tweet the following on Twitter: Win Halo relics incl. Halo 3 and First Strike at Busy Gamer News, home of the Busy Gamer Podcast RT + enter: http://bit.ly/at48Fd #bgnfsf
3. Review (or re-review) our Busy Gamer Podcast on iTunes
4. Review (or re-review) the Best of Busy Gamer Podcast on iTunes. This is a short audio highlights feed with our reviews, audio tours and other timeless bits.

If you do 2, 3 and/or 4 (and why wouldn't you?), you do need to let us know your Twitter/iTunes name(s) in your comment so we can find, verify and include your bonus entries in the drawing and match them up to contact you if one of them wins. If we can't easily tell who you are on Twitter and/or iTunes, the bonus entry is disqualified.

You DO have to enter a comment here and follow the other rules to be eligible. Here's how to enter:

This week, we deliver the third and final chapter of our PAX Prime 2010 coverage with interviews and our impressions of Comic Jumper, Torchlight 2, LittleBigPlanet 2, Infamous 2, Bangai-O HD, Tron: Evolution, Power Gig: Rise of the Six String, Instant Jam and Puzzle Agent.

Also, we finish BioShock 2 Minerva's Den and share first impressions of Halo: Reach.

Get all of that - plus game release news, DLC and giveaways - in about half an hour.

Our goal is to provide a short summary (typically 10-15 minutes, longer when necessary) of news and helpful commentary every Sunday so that you'll have a great jumping off point for your busy gamer week. Here's what we typically pack into each episode:

• The week's game releases
• A quick look back at the previous week's releases, news and downloadable content highlights
• What we're playing/mini-reviews
• Giveaways
• Comment of the week

As promised in the Busy Gamer Podcast, here is the complete list of games due for release this week for PC/Mac, portables and consoles (plus some recent releases that slipped out when we weren't looking):

• DS: Chuck E. Cheese's Gameroom, Chuck E. Cheese's Playhouse, Deer Drive, Dreamworks 2-in-1 Party Pack (Madagascar Kartz and Shrek's Carnival Craze), FIFA Soccer '11, Fizz (DSiWare), I Love Puppies, Jewel Master: Cradle of Athena, Mimi's Party Fun, MySims Sky Heroes, Personal Fitness Men, Personal Fitness Women, Petz Fantasy: Moonlight Magic, Rapala Pro Bass Fishing 2010, Scripps Spelling Bee and Zenonia (DSiWare)
• iPhone/iPad: Axe in Face, Blind World, Blue Defense: Second Wave!, Buck and the Coin of Destiny, MovieCat!, Real Soccer 2011, Tilt to Live HD and Words With Pirates
• Mac: Battle vs. Chess and The Sims 3 Deluxe Edition
• PC: Black Mirror 2, Dead Rising 2, Dream Day Wedding Trio, Escape Whisper Valley, Final Fantasy XIV (Standard Edition), Front Mission Evolved, The Guild 2: Renaissance, Jekyll and Hyde, The Sims 3 Deluxe Edition, Star Wars Fan Favorite I (Battlefront, Battlefront II and Republic Commando), Star Wars Fan Favorite II (Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast, Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy and Starfighter), Tropico 3: Gold Edition and Wildcat: Legends of Flight
• PS3: Atelier Rorona: The Alchemists Of Arland, Battle vs. Chess, Dead Rising 2, FIFA Soccer '11, Front Mission Evolved, Get Fit With Mel B (Move), Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock, Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light (PlayStation Store), Megaman 9 and 10 Bundle (PlayStation Store), MySims Sky Heroes, Quantum Theory, Rapala Pro Bass Fishing 2010 (Move) and Sword & Soldiers (PlayStation Store)
• PS2: FIFA Soccer '11 and Rapala Pro Bass Fishing 2010
• PSP: FIFA Soccer '11 and Rapala Pro Bass Fishing 2010
• Wii: Astro Bugz Revenge (WiiWare), Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock, Gummy Bears Mini Golf, Haunted House, MySims Sky Heroes, Oops! Prank Party, Once Upon A Time, Paintball 2, Pirates!, Rapala Pro Bass Fishing 2010, Samurai Warriors 3, Target Toss Pro: Lawn Darts (WiiWare), Wii Party and Wii Sniper Elite
• Xbox 360: Battle vs. Chess, Dead Rising 2, Deathsmiles, Deep Pocket Billiards (Game Room), FIFA Soccer '11, Front Mission Evolved, Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock, Hydrophobia (Arcade), Hyper Crash (Game Room), Missile Command (Game Room), MorphX, MySims Sky Heroes, Paintball 2, Plants vs. Zombies (Retail Edition with Peggle and Zuma), Pressure Cooker (Game Room), Quantum Theory and Rapala Pro Bass Fishing 2010

So, what will you be picking up - or is this week a pass? Any games we missed? Anything slip (as these almost inevitably do)? Please let us know...

Here are this week's downloads, demos and videos for the Wii and Nintendo DS:

• WiiWare: Astro Bugz Revenge ($7) and Target Toss Pro: Lawn Darts ($7)
• Virtual Console: None
• DSiWare: Fizz ($2) and Zenonia ($8)
• Rock Band 2 tracks ($2 each; due Tuesday, September 28) "Closer to the Edge" by 30 Seconds to Mars, "Among the Living," "I'm the Man," "Indians," "Madhouse (Live)" and "Metal Thrashing Mad (Live)" by Anthrax, "Coffin Nails" by Atreyu, "Out of Line" by Buckcherry, "Listen to the Music" and "Long Train Runnin'" by The Doobie Brothers and "I'm Not Okay (I Promise)" and "Welcome to the Black Parade" by My Chemical Romance - Note: "Family friendly" tracks also work with Lego Rock Band.
• DS Demos (via Wii's Nintendo Channel): Pokemon Ranger: Guardian Signs plus repeats Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth, America's Test Kitchen: Let's Get Cooking, Bakugan Battle Brawlers, Battle of Giants: Mutant Insects, Brain Age, Brain Age 2, Crosswords DS, Deca Sports DS, Dragon Ball: Origins 2, Flash Focus, Fossil Fighters, Ivy the Kiwi?, Mystery Case Files: MillionHeir, Personal Trainer: Math, Picross 3D, Rhythm Heaven, Rooms DS and Women's Murder Club: Games of Passion
• Game Videos: Astro Bugz Revenge, Donkey Kong Country Returns, Pokemon Ranger: Guardian Signs, Super Metroid, Target Toss Pro: Lawn Darts, Wii Party and Zenonia

Sony announced additions to its PS3 Greatest Hits line of games. They are supposed to be available immediately, but you know how it is with retailers. Don't pay more than $30 for these games - wait a few days and look for boxes with the bright red Greatest Hits band across the top:

• Call of Duty: World at War
• Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
• Demon's Souls
• MAG
• MotorStorm: Pacific Rift
• Ratchet and Clank Future: A Crack in Time
• Tekken 6

Also, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is being re-released as a Game of the Year Edition, which includes the full game plus copious DLC including the Drake's Fortune Multiplayer Pack, Siege Expansion Pack, Golden Guns, Eye of Indra motion comics and the Pinball Heroes Uncharted table for PSP. This will cost $50 when it launches Oct. 12...

• Lara Croft And The Guardian Of Light ($15)
• Swords & Soldiers ($10)
• Mega Man 9 & 10 Combo Pack ($15)
• Borderlands Claptrap's New Robot Revolution ($10)
• Deathspank: Thongs Of Virtue Snowy Mountain Dungeon ($3) and Tankko The Warrior ($1)
• ModNation Racers Air Raid Mod and Kart ($1.75 or $1 each)
• Mafia II various vehicle and apparel packs ($3 each)
• Naughty Bear Episode 9: Pirate Bear ($5)
• My Aquarium Blue Oasis Underwater Glamour Set ($1)
• Guitar Hero: Warriors Of Rock Telephantasm Album by Soundgarden ($18) with "Birth Ritual," "Burden In My Hand," "Black Hole Sun," "Blow Up The Outside World," "Fell On Black Days," "Hands All Over," "Hunted Down," "My Wave," "Spoonman," "Outshined" and "Rusty Cage"
• Rock Band/Rock Band 2 Anthrax Pack 01 ($8.50 or $2 each) with "Closer to the Edge" by 30 Seconds to Mars, "Among the Living," "I'm the Man," "Indians," "Madhouse (Live)" and "Metal Thrashing Mad (Live)" plus tracks ($2 each) "Coffin Nails" by Atreyu, "Out of Line" by Buckcherry, "Listen to the Music" and "Long Train Runnin'" by The Doobie Brothers and "I'm Not Okay (I Promise)" and "Welcome to the Black Parade" by My Chemical Romance plus Rock Band Network tracks ($1-2 each) "Cali Girl" by Ballyhool, "Hail Destroyer" by Cancer Bats, "First We Feast, Then We Felony" by Circus Circus, "Now Demolition" by Evile and "Leaderless And Self Enlisted" by Norma Jean - Note: "Family friendly" tracks also work with Lego Rock Band.
• Demos: EA Sports MMA, Heavy Rain (Move), Lara Croft And The Guardian Of Light, MySims SkyHeroes, Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 and Swords & Soldiers
• Game Videos: BioShock Infinite, Mafia II, Resistance 3 and Swords & Soldiers
• Themes: Deadliest Warrior ($2), Swords & Soldiers (free), Baltic Sky ($1.50), Blackbeard's Curse ($1.50), Dragon Premium ($2), Haunted English Castle ($1.50), Inner Warrior ($2), Mayan Skulls ($1.50), Visions ($1.50) and Zombie Mistress Dynamic ($3)
• Wallpaper: Kung Fu Rider (free)
• Avatars: Dead Rising 2, Deadliest Warrior, Mega Man 10 and ModNation Racers ($0.50 each)
• PSP: Rapala Pro Bass Fishing ($20) plus Gladiator Begins DLC (free), LittleBigPlanet PSP Costumes of MotorStorm ($1) and Valkyria Chronicles 2 DLC Pack 2 ($5)
• PSP Demos: Dragon Ball Z: Tenkaichi Tag Team and God of War: Ghost Of Sparta
• PSP Themes: Deadliest Warrior ($1.50), Blackbeard's Curse ($1.50), Light Machine Gun ($1.50), Machine Gun ($1.50) and Mayan Skulls ($1.50)
• PlayStation Home Items (usually priced $0.50-7.50 each): Dead Rising 2, Lake House personal space, AlphabeTees CalculaTees expansion and Sodium Telepad
• PlayStation Plus Exclusives ($50/year, $18/3 months) Discounts: Tomb Raider ($5 off)

Nintendo revealed that the Nintendo 3DS will launch sometime in March 2011 in the U.S. following its Feb. 26 debut in Japan. Official pricing for North America has not been revealed, but the Japanese price translates to almost $300 - so expect it to be pricey.

Other news about the Nintendo 3DS:

• Prior purchases will be transferable. Unlike with the DSi XL, which cannot play downloadable games previously bought on a DSi, Nintendo is promising some form of limited transfer capability. More details on how this will work as we get them.
• Colors will be Aqua Blue and Cosmos Black.
• Stylus is telescoping (can be expanded in length).
• A 2GB SD card is included.
• Games can exchange data with nearby 3DSes while in sleep mode using a feature called StreetPass. There's an indicator light that lets you know if this has happened.
• Mii can be created with a picture of your face using the built-in camera, and they can be transferred and shared with a Mii Plaza app.
• There will be a Virtual Console-style store offering downloadable Game Boy and Game Boy Color titles (though not Game Boy Advance games - early reports apparently got this detail wrong).

So, would you pay $250-300 for the next Nintendo gaming portable?

We tried Hydrophobia at PAX Prime 2010 and fell in love with its blend of Uncharted 2 action, Shadow Complex exploration and unpredictable water physics [Audio Interview].

But the Xbox Live Arcade demo doesn't get very deep into the game's many levels: We didn't play any of the shooting parts or get to mess with the game's iPad-like tech gizmo, the MAVI device.

Here are some things we figured out the hard way, so you won't have to:

• You can open doors remotely using the MAVI. That means doors on the other side of windows or viewed via a security camera feed are all fair game.
• When you see a timer early in the game, you don't have to beat it to continue the game - but it will unlock an achievement if you succeed. Backtrack as quick as you can to see if you can get it!
• Once you get the MAVI, you'll start hunting down frequency keys and ciphers to decrypt the doors that lead to the next area. Once you have the key for the area, switch on your MAVI and look for hidden yellow arrows that point to where you'll find the cipher.
• Use the map to help determine where to go next and, more importantly, how to get there. Use the 3D view to figure out which paths and doors are open to you and how deep to dive to get where you need to go without drowning. There are also air pockets marked in some locations; use these to catch your breath! Rooms or halls that have hidden decryption ciphers are marked in purple once you have the key for that area.
• If a body glows green, it has something for you to loot off of it: a decryption key, possibly, or at least some ammo.
• When using a weapon, zoom by pressing in the right thumbstick. If you're behind cover, you'll be exposed while zoomed - so take your shot, and then click the thumbstick again to duck behind the wall or object you're hiding against if there's still anyone left. Also, some people are friendly. If your crosshair pointer turns green (instead of the usual red), don't shoot!
• Watch your back. There are often multiple ways to get around an area, and your enemies will quickly flank you once they're aware of your presence.
• Don't be afraid to detonate electrical or explosive charges under water. Just keep your distance and you'll be fine. These charges have 10-second timers or they can be detonated manually by tapping the right trigger a second time.
• If you're not sure where to go next, whip out your weapon and look for objects in the room that turn red when your crosshair is on top of them. You have unlimited sonic ammo, so charge it up and blast the thing to see whether it helps you out.

• Arcade: Hydrophobia ($15) plus Castlevania: Harmony of Despair Beauty, Desire, Situation Dire Map Pack ($5), Buku Sodoku Puzzle Pack 18 ($2) and Toy Soldiers Invasion! ($5)
• Game Room ($3-5 each; no new Game Pack download this week): Deep Pocket Billiards, Hyper Crash, Missile Command and Pressure Cooker
• Borderlands Claptrap's New Robot Revolution ($10)
• Mafia II various vehicle and apparel packs ($3 each)
• Guitar Hero: Warriors Of Rock Telephantasm Album by Soundgarden ($18) with "Birth Ritual," "Burden In My Hand," "Black Hole Sun," "Blow Up The Outside World," "Fell On Black Days," "Hands All Over," "Hunted Down," "My Wave," "Spoonman," "Outshined" and "Rusty Cage"
• Rock Band/Rock Band 2 Anthrax Pack 01 ($8.50 or $2 each) with "Closer to the Edge" by 30 Seconds to Mars, "Among the Living," "I'm the Man," "Indians," "Madhouse (Live)" and "Metal Thrashing Mad (Live)" plus tracks ($2 each) "Coffin Nails" by Atreyu, "Out of Line" by Buckcherry, "Listen to the Music" and "Long Train Runnin'" by The Doobie Brothers and "I'm Not Okay (I Promise)" and "Welcome to the Black Parade" by My Chemical Romance - Note: "Family friendly" tracks also work with Lego Rock Band.
• Rock Band Network tracks ($1-3; Rock Band 2 required to download and play) "Light" by Shylo Elliott, "Discharge" by Intricate Unit, "Giant Magnets" by Desoto Jones, "Elevator" by Kingsize, "999,999 Girls!" by Kiss the Girl, "Hanuman" by Rodrigo y Gabriela and "Indulgence" by Self-Titled
• Lips Death Cab For Cutie Song Pack ($5.50 or $2 each) with "I Will Possess Your Heart," "Meet Me On The Equinox," and "Soul Meets Body" and Michael Bublé Song Pack ($5.50 or $2 each) with "Home," "Everything," and "Haven't Met You Yet"
• Games on Demand: Assassin's Creed II ($40)
• Demos: Arcania: Gothic 4, EA Sports MMA and Enslaved: Odyssey to the West plus all Xbox Live Arcade, Game Room, Indie games and Rock Band Network tracks
• Indie Games (usually $1-10 each): A Shooter, Break the Invaders, Extreme Jigsaw Madness, Funny Mini Golf, HakoSekai, Jungle Friendzy, Starchon, Storm, Tank Battles and Xtreme Surfer X
• Game Videos: Dead Rising 2: Case West, Hydrophobia, Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, Mafia II, NBA 2K11 and  R.U.S.E.
• Themes: Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood Premium ($3), Fable III Premium ($3), Reese's (free) and South Park ($3)
• Pictures: Konsole Kingz ($2) and Reese's (free)
• Avatar Items (usually priced $1-5 each): Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood